1
as in geese
a person who lacks good sense or judgment
only a turkey would think it's a good idea to go for a jog when the weather drops below zero
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in idiots
a stupid person
you turkey, that wasn't my boyfriend—it was my brother!
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3
as in disasters
something that has failed
his business venture ended up being a turkey, and he lost quite a bit of money on it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of turkeys
Bird flu, a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus, affects poultry — including chickens, ducks and turkeys — and some wild bird species, including geese and shorebirds, the department said.
—
Laura Fay, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
More than 400 families with critically ill children were provided fresh produce, dry goods, turkeys and home essentials.
—Sharon Hlapcich, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, Fish and Game is urging residents to remove any potential attractants and avoid feeding the turkeys.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife introduced turkeys to the Golden State in the 1900s to encourage recreation hunting and generate revenue through the purchasing of licenses required to hunt the bird.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Joyce Farms in Winston-Salem also supplies fresh, whole turkeys to the restaurant.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 18 Dec. 2025
That show was sort of anticlimactic in that contestants would just fill their shopping carts with frozen turkeys and diapers.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 17 Dec. 2025
To-go menu items include whole turkeys, hams, side dishes, pies and cobbler.
—Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025
Anderson explained that because certain retailers, such as Walmart, contract their turkeys well in advance, the price for customers might be much lower than the market currently indicates.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turkeys
Noun
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In Chicago, the large lakeshore population of Canadian geese has become a major food source for Cook County coyotes, not so much the adult geese themselves as the contents of their nests, nearly half of which get raided in most years.—
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And Canada geese, which can be found in Kansas City year-round, are also getting sick.—
Noun
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Can't believe that after 10 years of us basing our most damning investigations on cell phone data, these idiots are still doing it.—
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That's the deterrent for the idiots.—
Noun
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The Packers had seen their season end in two of the last three postseasons in part because of special teams disasters, and Saturday night was no different.—
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Overall, the nation suffered a staggering 23 separate weather and climate disasters in 2025, each of which cost over $1 billion in damages.—
Noun
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The lunatics who attacked the seat of government to try to change the outcome of a free and fair election are not patriots.—
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Parents know these woke lunatics are bullies.—
Noun
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Overwhelmingly, though, the most common response was to seek confirmation of their suspicions that Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were morons.—
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There are worse things than watching Black, Rudd, and Zahn play three gormless morons on a mid-life misadventure, but almost every scene and setpiece is constructed with a haphazardness that blunders away their charm.—
Noun
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Thinking globally and acting locally means electing people of vision, not people who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag without a lobbyist lighting their way under the table, or down the wrong path where for-profit companies rule and teachers are scapegoated for society's failures.—
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Despite multiple ongoing investigations, survivors say officials still lack answers about why response failures disproportionately affected west Altadena.—
Noun
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The next slide showed a mouthwatering array of meats, cheeses, crudite and nuts set for snacking on, along with bottles of Haack's champagne line, Clé Cachée, chilling behind an array of glasses.—
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For instance, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and chocolate are more prone to oxidation, which can lead to rancid flavors or a gritty texture.—
Noun
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Becker, 31, is one of the few young adults pursuing the fading art, which sees her sharing a stage with two dummies named Jerry and Ronnie.—
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Step inside the plant with these photos to see the step-by-step process of developing the dummies.—
Cite this Entry
“Turkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turkeys. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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